The Next Pope Must Represent the Unity of the Catholic Church - A Conversation with Papal Prelate József Marton

Pope Francis was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Csíksomlyó (Șumuleu Ciuc) – the site of a Roman Catholic pilgrimage in Transylvania, where Catholics from the region, mainly Hungarian, gather annually – and his visit was a milestone for the Catholic community in Transylvania. We spoke with József Marton, Papal Prelate, Emeritus Grand Provost, Honorary Canon, and Professor Emeritus about the legacy Pope Francis left behind, the kind of leader the Roman Catholic Church needs in the 21st century, and whether there is a chance for a Hungarian pope to occupy the See of Saint Peter.

as during the papal visit to Transylvania’s Csíksomlyó, József Marton was occupied, working on a Duna Television broadcast. Thus he unfortunately did not participate in the mass with the Pope held in the valley of Csíksomlyó, known as the „saddle”.

The Legacy of Saint Francis: The Pope of the Poor and Downtrodden

Regarding the legacy of Pope Francis, József Marton pointed out that Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was born in Argentina, was primarily a pastoral pope. As he put it, the job of the Archbishop and Cardinal of Buenos Aires was pastoral service. This was also considered unusual because priests from the Jesuit religious order do not necessarily perform pastoral duties primarily, but he had a strong sense of the problems requiring pastoral guidance in the capital of the South American country.

During his work in the Argentine capital, he believed that in many cases it is not possible to set strict conditions for rites such as a baptism. He also emphasized that it is important for priests and church leaders to establish direct contact with the faithful, to be „among the sheep”, so to speak, and to turn to poor people – but not excluding the possibility of being spiritual leaders of the rich,” said József Marton. He noted that it was no coincidence that he chose the name of Saint Francis as his papal name, after he was elected head of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI; he was the first non-European pope to sit on the throne of Saint Peter.

recalled József Marton, highlighting the fact that the historically Hungarian region and Catholic minority of the country was not overly involved in organizing the papal visit. József Marton added that he was not entirely satisfied with the Holy Father’s speech in Csíksomlyó either, because although the speech was beautiful, it omitted the two Áron Márton quotes that his theologian colleagues sent to the nuncio organizing the papal visit. „Pope Francis gave a beautiful speech that spoke to the people, but we would have been even happier if, taking into account the local characteristics, he had mentioned Áron Márton’s name.

said the retired theology professor. He noted that another sore point about the papal visit was the rainy weather that day: people came from everywhere by car, but the faithful from the Csíki Basin were missing as they did not set off on foot due to the bad weather.

The Next Pope Must Maintain the Unity of the Catholic Church

József Marton also spoke about what kind of leader the Roman Catholic Church needs in the 21st century. He said that the pope primarily represents the cohesive unity of the church, the college of bishops, primus inter pares, meaning first among equals, so his primary role is to maintain this unity. „Continuity is also an important aspect when electing a pope. Benedict XVI was a theologian pope who gave speeches that we still enjoy reading today, Pope Francis was a pastor who was close to people.

Pope Francis was very popular, he spoke in the language of the people, he had strong and great statements, but his answers were sometimes misinterpreted, which is why he often had to explain himself, especially at the beginning of his papacy. At the cardinal meetings before the conclave, they will analyze in detail what kind of pope the church really needs,” explained Papal Prelate József Marton.

said József Marton. He recalled that in the 1500s, there was a great opportunity for Tamás Bakócz of Erdőd to become the first Hungarian pope of the Catholic Church, but then Cardinal Medici received more votes in the conclave. He explained that Cardinal Péter Erdő is well-known among the cardinals, an extremely prepared, legally qualified church leader who has a great sense for handling church affairs. „I am on friendly terms with Cardinal Péter Erdő, and of course, I would very much like him to be the next successor of Saint Peter. His name has been mentioned among the potential cardinals in the Hungarian-speaking regions because, somehow, it is our wish, our feeling, that he should be the next pope,” noted Papal Prelate József Marton.

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